You, Me and Aoi
by lil' n3ko
Summary: Yes, they are together now. Then, someone came into their lives - most especially, Natsume's life. A new chapter will begin. What is going to happen to them?
1. Finally Mine

Chapter 1: Finally Mine

--

When these words echoed in her ears, she brushed his hair and whispered back, "I won't. I will never leave you."

_It has been several months since she became mine_, he thought as he looked at the sleeping brunette in his arms. He watched the cherry blossoms slowly descended towards the soft green grass below them. He brushed her auburn strands reminiscing about the days he had with her. She was finally his. He remembered the words she said that made him feel that he is the happiest guy on earth. He felt her squirm. He saw her open her chocolate eyes. He kept her in his arms hoping not to fall from the branch they were sitting on. He looked at her and saw her smile. She looked at the vast orange sky above them.

"Good morning, sleepy head," he said as he brushed her hair tangling over her shoulders.

"Whatever," replied the brunette as she embraced him tighter. "It's getting late. I guess we need to go back to the dormitory." The fire caster agreed.

Natsume descended towards the ground first. He waited for her to come down. She landed in his arms. He thought that she was like an angel who descended to take care of him, to guard him, to love him. He looked into her eyes, seeing the happiness that he had wanted all along. She saw her smile and whisper a "Thank you," to him. He brought her down and started to walk towards the dormitory. They were silent along the way. He didn't know what to talk about from the start. The sky was becoming dark, but still they didn't talk to each other. Then, they ended looking at each other in front of the nullifier's room.

"Thanks, for bringing me here, Natsume," she shyly said to him.

"No problem."

She placed her hand on his face, which made the fire caster freeze. She giggled at the sight and approached her face towards his. Natsume then placed his hand behind her neck, planning to give her a kiss goodbye. He closed his crimson eyes waiting for the sensation of her soft lips pressing his. But, it wasn't supposed to happen. For two familiar figures approached the two of them.

"Oi, Natsume. I thought that these things are supposed to be private," a certain blond-haired teen said while holding the raven-haired inventor's hand.

_Darn this interruption_, he thought as he glared at his bestfriend. He then saw Mikan bow her head in embarrassment. He cleared his throat and faced the other two.

"What are you doing here, anyway," he asked.

"Two things, Hyuuga-kun. First, I thought that we are going to keep our relationships secret. Your so-called girlfriend said so, right? Second, it's supper time and I'm hungry," the inventor said emotionlessly while listening to her stomach growl.

Ruka laughed at her. However, his aquamarine eyes then were brought to the improvised BakaGun 2008 pointed towards him. He gulped when he saw the hideous machine pointed towards him and stopped laughing. Hotaru smirked when he saw fear written all over his face. She kept the BakaGun in her bag and started to speak.

"Don't think that I'm already your girlfriend that I'm going to let you do what you want, Nogi. Remember what we said to each other a few months ago that we are still going to act like we were when we were still single. We shouldn't let everyone have suspicions on us and our relationship. If they know about it, we're dead."

"H-hai," the Animal-boy obeyed while looking at his so-called girlfriend. He then felt himself being pulled by the inventor.

"We're getting late for supper. We have to hurry, guys," she said as the sound of her stomach became audible to the others.

The four then continued to walk towards the cafeteria together. Several feet from the cafeteria, Hotaru took embarrassing pictures of the famous Nogi Ruka from her bag and started to ride her flying duck vehicle. She then proceeded into the cafeteria. Normally, Ruka who was blushing intensely because of too much embarrassment, chased her. Natsume started to walk into the cafeteria with his most arrogant look on his face. Mikan, on the other hand, acted as stupid as ever. For several months the four did this routine. From the start of classes to the end of the day, they did the routine so that the whole school won't have suspicions on them.

Finally, they sat on their appropriate seats. Of course, Mikan always sat with her beloved Hotaru, along with her other friends: Yuu, Nonoko, and Anna. Mikan would act foolishly and hug Hotaru tight like glue. As usual, Hotaru would hit her with the BakaGun. On the other side of the cafeteria, where the odor of burnt hair was dominant, Natsume was seated with Ruka along with his friends and the half-bald fan girls. The atmosphere of the academy was still the same. Nobody even knew about the secret between the four teens: Natsume, Mikan, Ruka, and Hotaru. Everyday was like de ja vu.

Finally, supper time was done. Each of them slowly rose from their seats and crowd out of the cafeteria. They went to their respective rooms inside the dormitory. Mikan brought Hotaru to her room first, then proceeded to hers. She took her key and opened the door. She took off her boots, and placed them on her shoe rack. She placed her chocolate eyes on the bed, and there sat the fire caster.

"Natsume, how did you come in here," she said and shock was written all over her face.

"I climbed up the window."

"But, you should have used the door. You can ask the key from me. I don't know what might happen to you if you fell from the window. I won't forgive myself if that happened to you," she said worryingly. She then saw him smile and approach her. He hugged her and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"You don't need to worry about me. Besides, if someone saw me come inside your room using the door, he will know about us. You know how fast news spread inside the academy," he said as he patted her head. He saw her smile and placed her head on his chest. _She cares_, he thought. He sighed and embraced her tight.

"I love you," he heard her say. When these words rang in his ears, he felt his heart beat fast. He was happy. He then looked at her deep in the eyes. He caressed her face. He saw her play with his ebony hair. He smiled and placed his lips on hers. He kissed her passionately. They embraced under the dim light of her room. He continued to kiss her savoring the sweet sensation of her soft lips. He felt her reply passionately with his kisses. He didn't want to let her go. He didn't want that night to end. She was his.

He then ceased their kiss and looked into her eyes. He kissed her forehead. He looked at her again, and caressed her face. He never knew that she will be his one day. He never expected that the happiness he longed for each day will be by his side, loving him. He always thought of himself being always in the dark. But, she came into his life. He finally has her. He wished that she will never leave him. He brought his lips on her ears and whispered, "Don't leave me, okay?"

When these words echoed in her ears, she brushed his hair and whispered back, "I won't. I will never leave you." They stayed that way for a few minutes, and finally he went back to his room.

She slowly opened her eyes when she heard her name. On her side, sat the fire caster patting her head. She showed him a tired smile, and rose from her bed. It was already their habit: Natsume waking Mikan up early in the morning.

"Good morning, Natsume," she greeted him.

"Good morning. Now, go take a bath. You must hurry up or you'll be late. Don't worry. I won't look. I'll go to my room and I'll be back after twenty minutes."

She pecked him on the cheek and proceeded to the bathroom. She closed the door, and started the shower. She heard the sound of the door of her room being opened then closed. It signified that he did go out of the room. A smile crept in her lips. He wasn't a pervert at all. What Koko told her that Natsume was acting like one because he was just wanting her attention. She started to bathe herself. She then remembered what Natsume told her last night, _"Don't leave me, okay?" _She closed her eyes and thought, _I won't leave you, Natsume. I don't want you to see you sad again_. She finished taking her bath and she did her everyday habits. When she was finished doing these, the fire caster finally arrived.

"You came just in time," she said while she was putting the books inside her bag.

"I always do," he said as he closed the door. "Are you ready? Ruka and Imai are going to arrive sooner or later."

"Yup!" She exclaimed joyfully which made Natsume smile. She looked at his happy face. She never saw him that happy before. She continued to look at him.

"What?" The fire caster asked.

"I'm happy that you're happy, Natsume. I wish to see you happy everyday."

When Natsume heard this, he approached her and embraced her. "You're the reason why I'm happy, Mikan," he said. He looked at her and cupped his hand on her face. He looked at the perfect features of her face. It was the face that made him happy. It was the face that made his darkness go away. He kissed her forehead, and looked at her again. He saw her smile. He placed both of his hands on her face and planned to plant a kiss on her lips. However, the door suddenly opened and a certain couple appeared before them.

"Hey, guys. Are you ready? We're goi.. Oh," the Animal-boy's words were broken when he saw them. "I see I disturbed you. I'm sorry, but we need to go."

"You don't know the meaning of the word PRIVACY, do you?" Natsume said with an irritation in his voice.

"Stop it, both of you. We need to go to school now," the inventor said emotionlessly. The other three agreed and they proceeded towards the school building. Of course, they did their daily routines. The day was ordinary. Nothing really happened, but a ton of assignments were given to them. After class hours, they crowded out of the school building and ate their lunch.

The sun was high above the sakura tree on which Natsume and Mikan were sitting on. It was also their daily routine. They would meet up at the sakura tree and climb on it. There they were in each other's arms looking at the lush world under them.

"It's so beautiful, isn't it Natsume?"

"Yes, it is," he said as he looked at the brunette. Then he placed his eyes towards a certain girl who was walking towards the Northern Forest. She had long raven hair tied up in a pony tail. It was far different from Hotaru. She was familiar to him. _Aoi_?

--

This is my third fanfic, and the sequel to Black Cat Means Good Luck. I hope you like it, even though it is very short. Don't worry. I will make longer chapters in the future. The second chapter will be about our new character in the story. Guess who she is. I know it is obvious. Well, please review, guys! Ja!


	2. Yuki Aoi

Chapter 2: Yuki Aoi

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A bright light began to flash before her eyes. Her sight was distorted. She adjusted her sight and she finally saw a face in front of hers. It was a man. He had crimson eyes, and he had a pale face. He had a grim look on his face, but he tried his best to smile at her. She scanned her eyes around the ivory room around her. She was in a white hospital dress. No one was there inside the room except her and the man sitting beside her. She looked at the man who looked like he was in his mid-twenties. She never saw this guy before. All she remembered was, wait, she doesn't remember anything. Her memories are gone. What's wrong with her? She tried her best to rise from her bed. However, she was stopped by the man beside her.

--

_Falling debris began to fall from the house. Her vision was distorted. She cannot see properly. She saw a few people running around the house. Scorching heat began to devour her skin. The place where she was in was on fire! She kept calling for help, but no one was there. No one heard her. The last word she heard was her name - "Aoi!". "Onii-chan," she replied._

She quickly opened her crimson eyes, and she saw the visage of his so-called brother, Serio. Beads of perspiration rolled down her pale face. _It was all a dream_, she thought. She scanned the dainty house she was in. Yes, what she experienced a while ago was just a dream. She looked at her brother's worried face. "Aoi, are you okay?" He asked. Tears began to form on her eyes and she embraced her brother. She began to tell him about her nightmare. She felt him embrace her back and comfort her. She thought of her brother's embrace as a sanctuary, a comfort zone. She released herself from her brother and revealed a faint smile.

"Are you okay," Serio asked her sixteen-year-old sister.

"I'm fine. Thank you," she replied.

"You made me worry so much, Aoi. You have been dreaming about the same dream for quite sometime now. Isn't it bothering you? Do you need help?" Her brother asked as he brushed her long ebony hair. She smiled as she saw him comforting her. He was an ideal brother.

"It's okay, Onii-chan. As long as you're here, I'm okay."

She saw him laugh about it. She began to blush for she thought what she said was embarrassing. She bowed her head in so much embarrassment and began to itch her right cheek. She always does that when she gets embarrassed. She felt him pat her head. He smiled at her. She smiled back. She saw him rise up from the bed and go out from her room. She also went out of her bed, and fixed its sheets and the pillows placed on it. She went out of the room and proceeded to the kitchen. There, she found, a plate of pancakes, bacon, and eggs. A glass of milk was beside it. And there, she saw her brother sitting on one of the seats around the small square table. She washed her hands first, and proceeded to her seat. She looked at the food in front of her. It was the third time her brother cooked breakfast for her. Normally, she would be the one cooking for him for she was the only female in the house. Actually, they were only two in the house. She continued to stare at the food for she was surprised of what her brother did to her.

"Aoi, food is used for eating, not for decorations to be looked at. If you're not going to eat those, the ants might get them," Serio said with a humor in his voice.

"Hai, Onii-chan," she said as she smiled. She took her fork and pierced the pancake. She placed a piece of pancake in her dainty mouth. She placed her crimson eyes towards her brother. A small frown was seen on her face. Serio began to worry. It seemed that she didn't like his cooking. _They're just pancakes, for Pete's sake! How come she doesn't like it,_ he thought as he looked at his sister's disappointed face. He looked sadly at her.

"If you don't like it, it's okay. You don't have to keep it from me. We'll just have to buy breakfast outside. Or better yet, you make breakfast for you cook better," he sadly said. He then saw her giggle a bit. _Is she mocking me_, he thought. He then saw her smile at him.

"I'm just joking, Onii-chan. Of course, I like them. I thought that this is the sweetest thing you ever did to me. Thank you, Onii-chan," she said as she placed another piece of pancake in her mouth. He sighed in relief. He thought that she didn't like his cooking. He already had imaginations of her vomitting his food. Of course, he is going to imagine that. He is the adviser of the Dangerous Ability Type class. He never does these things to anybody - well, except for her. She doesn't know about his true identity being the adviser of the Dangerous Ability class and being the one making missions for a certain person. All that she knows is he is a painter, and he sells his paintings in Central Town. He then looked at his watch. He had to go.

"Aoi, I have to go to Central Town now. A lot of people are already waiting for my shop to open. I think I'm going to be late. Now, take care of yourself while I'm gone. Don't get out of the house, okay," he instructed her.

"Hai," she timidly said as she continued to eat her breakfast. He patted his sister's head and placed a large bag in his hands. He waved goodbye to her and went out of the house he was in. Aoi continued to look at him from the inside until the leaves of the trees of the Northern Forest began to engulf his presence. He's gone. She cleaned her plate and did her usual chores. Fragile as she seems, she was very industrious. After cleaning the entire house, she proceeded towards the bathroom. There she brushed her teeth. She looked at the mirror in front of her. There, she looked at her visage. She had beautiful crimson eyes, and an innocent look that everyone would think of her as an angel. Long ebony hair fell limply on her shoulders. Yes, she was perfect. However, something is missing from her, a memory. Yes, she had a wonderful life with her brother. However, her life was also filled with suspicions. For example, her brother doesn't want her to go into his room nor go out of the house. _Why,_ she asked. She reminisced about the days she only remembered.

_A bright light began to flash before her eyes. Her sight was distorted. She adjusted her sight and she finally saw a face in front of hers. It was a man. He had crimson eyes, and he had a pale face. He had a grim look on his face, but he tried his best to smile at her. She scanned her eyes around the ivory room around her. She was in a white hospital dress. No one was there inside the room except her and the man sitting beside her. She looked at the man who looked like he was in his mid-twenties. She never saw this guy before. All she remembered was, wait, she doesn't remember anything. Her memories are gone. What's wrong with her? She tried her best to rise from her bed. However, she was stopped by the man beside her._

_"Aoi, don't move yet. You're still weak," the man said to her._

_"I'm sorry, but, who are you? What did you say? My name is Aoi?" She asked the man in a confused state. This man knows her. But, she doesn't know him. Is she related to him?_

_"Aoi, it's me... Your Onii-chan. Serio," the man worryingly said. What? This man is her brother? It was like she never knew him. But, maybe he was telling the truth. She just forgot about him because she lost her memories. But, something was telling her that she never knew him. She then saw him holding her hands. A feeling of fear began to envelope her._

_"I'm sorry, but, I don't know you. Why am I here? I don't know what's going on. I don't even know who I am," she said worryingly as she released her hand from the man who calls himself her brother._

_"Aoi, you really forgot about me. I'm your brother. We survived from the fire. Maybe the log that hit your head made you lose your memories," he said. She touched her head, and there, she felt a slight pain. Maybe, this man was telling the truth._

She then rinsed her mouth after brushing her teeth. She then removed her clothes and turned the shower on. She bathed in the warm water the shower gave out. After that, she turned the shower off, dried her self, and wore her clothes. She rested on the couch and looked at the pictures on the shelf. There, she found burnt pictures of her and her brother. But, these pictures however, also brought suspicions in her mind. In their pictures, they only posed individually. They didn't even have pictures of their parents. And one picture of her was torn. It seemed that she was not alone in that picture for a hand of a child about her age was shown on it. Then, she had flashbacks about a certain male child. However, the sight of the flashback was distorted which made it difficult for her to think about that child.But, she didn't mind about it. All she knew that even though she doesn't remember a thing, She had many wonderful experiences with her brother. Because of that, she thought of something to surprise him. She looked outside and saw cherries growing from the bushes a few meters away. _I know that I'm going to disobey Onii-chan, but I'm going to be away for just a few minutes,_ she thought.

She took a small basket and went out of the house. She walked towards the bushes where numerous cherries grew. She chose those cherries which looked juicy and had a ruby red color. She picked them one by one. She imagined of the pie she was going to make for her brother. She is going to make him happy. She was going to make the best pie in the whole world. Then, she heard someone's footsteps approaching her. She hastingly hid behind one of the trees and peeked to who was in that place. There, she saw a boy, about her age. He had jet black hair and crimson eyes, just like hers. He was handsome. He had a masculine look that you could rarely see in boys. She felt her heart beat as she saw him walk on the lush green grass of the Northern Forest. It seemed that she knew him. But, who is he? She began to scratch her cheek again. As he walked in the forest, he had a worried look on his face. It seemed that he was finding for something.

"Why am I the one looking for that mute rag doll? I think I'm lost. What made me look for Bear again?" He said to himself as he scanned the forest. He tried to remember the reason why he agreed to go into the forest and search for the homicidal stuffed toy named Mr. Bear.

_"I'm sorry, Natsume. It is because I slipped on a banana peel inside Bear's house, bumped on the plate full of cookies, and made them fall on the wooden floor. Because of that, Bear's cookies are ruined and I broke his plate which Kaname-senpai gave him! He's gonna kill me! Please, Natsume. Tell him I'm really sorry and I didn't mean to ruin his cookies and destroy his special plate," she pleaded._

_"You didn't mean to do those things, right? You don't need to feel guilty about it," he lazily said._

_"Please, Natsume. I am like a fist magnet. If Bear sees me, he'll kill me. He won't have second thoughts in killing me. Please, Natsume. You won't agree that bear won't kill me, right? Okay, I'll go into that forest, thinking that my boyfriend agrees to let me die in the hands of a mute stuffed toy," she dramatically said._

_"Whatever. All right, I'll do it. Just don't overeact sometimes," he said as he patted her head._

_"Thank you, Natsume!" She said as she placed a kiss on his cheek._

"I'm such an idiot," he said to himself as he continued to look for the notorious Mr. Bear. As he was looking for the moving stuffed toy, a pair of crimson eyes was still looking at him from behind a tree. She continued to admire his features. She never saw a boy, other than her brother, before. It seemed like destiny made her see that boy. She wanted to know him. She wanted to know his name. But, he was looking for something. And she knew he was looking for Mr. Bear for she heard every word he was saying when he was speaking to himself. _Am I going to tell him where Mr. Bear is,_ she thought. _Maybe he'll see me. I'm too ashamed to meet him._ She then looked at the boy again. She decided to tell him where Mr. Bear was. She showed her hand pointing to her left to the boy.

"Umm.. If you are looking for Mr. Bear, just go to your left. His house is about thirty meters away. Just continue walking and you'll see his house," she timidly said. She began to blush in nervousness. Natsume, on the other hand, looked at the tree where Aoi was hiding. He slowly approached the tree. There, he saw a girl with ebony hair placed in a pony tail only that the pony tail was placed on her left. He didn't see her face. "Who are you," he asked. "Is that you, Imai," he continued. When Aoi heard these words, she began to run on top speed leaving the fire caster standing alone in the middle of the forest. _This is so embarrassing_, she thought as she continued to run towards her dainty home ahead. She proceeded into her house and rested for a few minutes. She thought of what had happened. But, she felt happy in a way. She smiled as she scratched her cheek.

She then proceeded towards the kitchen and placed the basket of cherries on the table. There, she started to make the cherry pie for her brother. As she made the pie, she continued to think about the boy she met in the forest. She really wanted to meet him again. She wanted to know his name. She wanted to be friends with him. It seemed like there was an attraction between them even though she just saw him once.

In the other part of the forest, Natsume kept standing on the spot he was on for five minutes. _Who was she_, he thought. He then just forgot about the incident and followed the mysterious girl's instructions. He walked for a few minutes and there, he saw the homicidal bear's house. There, he saw the stuffed toy sweeping the yard. He came out of the bushes and approached Bear. Bear, on the other hand, ceased his cleaning and looked at the fire caster.

"Oi, Bear. Mikan said that she's sorry of what she had done. She didn't mean to do it to you. Now, can I leave?" He said lazily. Then, he saw the stuffed toy make gestures saying that he wasn't angry of what the nullifier did. It was his fault that a banana peel was on the floor. The fire caster, thinking that his mission was over, went away from the bear and out of the forest. He then walked towards the dormitory and into Mikan's room. There, he saw the nullifier along with the Animal-boy and the inventor.

"He said he wasn't angry. It was his fault that the banana peel was on the floor. I was right that you should be the one to go to that rag doll," he said with an emotionless tone.

"Really? Thank you, Natsume. You're such a hero!" The nullifier happily said.

"Whatever. It was very tiring. I need some rest," he said as he approached the nullifier's bed and lay his head on one of the pillows. He then heard her giggling. "What," he asked. "You're so funny, sometimes," she replied. He just smirked and looked at the inventor who was looking at him. He then remembered the incident that happened in the forest. He rose from the bed and sat.

"Oi, Imai. Were you in the Northern Forest? I think I saw you there," he said with a boring tone in his voice.

"Why should I be there? There are many insignificant things inside that forest that I don't want to do anything with them. Why? You saw someone there?" She replied emotionlessly.

"Sort of," he replied.

"Maybe it's Shouda. You know that she wouldn't stop until we become hers," he said with humor in his voice.

"It's impossible. That girl has the same length of hair as Imai's. Shouda has shorter hair," Natsume said as he lay his head on the pillow again.

"You know fan girls. They won't stop. They don't know anything of what is happening among us four. So, they still continue annoying us. Maybe that girl you saw is one of our fan girls. Don't worry about it, Natsume." Ruka said.

"I guess you're right," he replied.

--

Hello, everyone! I'm sorry for the late update. It's because these days are so busy for me that I don't know what to do anymore! But, still, I finished my second chapter! Yay! Well, I hope you like it even though it's a bit short again. I just want to finish this story early because I have a lot of surprises in store for you! So, keep reading!

Hmmm... The story is getting interesting. So, keep on reading everyone because more interesting things will happen on the next chapter.

I would like to thank the following for reviewing my fanfics: akerue, kimmie911, harmony235, Shiro-Kitsune8, kathykatekatie, and '-MiNi-RAi-'. Thank you for the awesome reviews!

Thank you, everyone! And please, don't forget to review this story and my other stories. Ivory Rose is somewhat short in its reviews. I'm counting on you! So, keep reading and reviewing, everyone! Ja!


	3. Back into the Darkness

Chapter 3: Back into the Darkness

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The fire slowly dissolved from his hand. His sister's life is at stake. Images of her began to appear in his thoughts. His beloved sister, Aoi. Sooner or later she is going to die in the hands of Persona. BUt, that is not going to happen unless he does his mission. But, how about Mikan? She will never agree to let him do his missions. He doesn't want to leave her. But, he also loves his sister. What will his decision be? Will he continue to stay into the light and let his sister die? Or, stay into the darkness and leave the light? It was a hard decision but, he had to choose one. _I'm sorry, Mikan. Buriko, I'm going to save you. Don't worry, Onii-chan is here_, he thought. He looked at the man before him. Persona, on the other hand, knew that he succeeded. Natsume clenched his fists knowing that he will not like his decision. "What's my next mission, Persona?" He was again back into the darkness.

--

She slowly removed the pie from the oven. The sweet aroma of the cherry pie she made spread across the dainty house. She silently congratulated herself for doing a job well done. She slowly sliced the pie into eight pieces: four for his brother, and four for her. The red juice of the cherry began to flow from the pie, and its vapor began to spread across the house. Surely, it was delicious. She heard knocks on the window, and she saw little birds using their beaks to knock on the window. She smiled as she saw them. She took out a slice, and placed it on a platter. She then opened the window and placed the platter outside. The birds then flocked to eat the pie she made. She placed the remains of the pie and rested on the couch. She then reminisced about the incident that happened in the forest. She remembered the boy she saw. Was she ever going to see him again? She then thought about it sadly, for his brother would never want her to do that.

Then, she heard footsteps approaching her house. A familiar person was walking towards her house. With him, was his bag and a box of chocolates. Aoi suddenly ran towards the door and opened it. There stood her older brother who smiled happily at her. She embraced her tight and felt him kiss her head. She took the things he was holding and placed them on top of the couch. She then saw him sit on it and remove his shoes.

"Onii-chan, it's not yet afternoon. How come you're here early," she asked.

"Why? Don't you want to see Onii-chan," he replied as he chuckled.

"Of course, I want to see you Onii-chan. I even prepared cherry pie for you. Do you want to have a slice? Just wait for me. I'll get you one." She then went towards the refrigirator and took a slice of the pie and placed it on a platter. She then went towards him and gave the pie. However, she saw a disappointed expression on his face. She then remembered that she wasn't allowed to go out of the house, yet she did so.

"Onii-chan, I know you are angry because I went out of the house. I just wanted to give you some pie so I can make you happy. I'm so sorry. It won't happen again. I promise," she said as she raised her right hand. She then saw him smile at her and take a bite of the pie. He patted her on the head.

"Don't worry, Aoi. Onii-chan's not angry. And for your information, you are now allowed to go out of the house. I have a surprise for you," he said.

"Surprise? What are you talking about, Onii-chan?"

"You are going to school, Aoi. Those Alice students, they are going to be your classmates soon. As a matter of fact, I'm here early because I'm going to bring you there now. Now, go to your room and be at your best attire. We don't want your teachers to have a bad impression on you, right?"

"Hai!" She then dashed to her room and picked her best clothes, even though most of them are house clothes for she was only staying in the house. Then, the siblings started their journey. On their way to the faculty building, Aoi was already imagining of how school was like, what the atmosphere of the classroom will be like. She was imagining that the boy that she met in the forest will be her classmate. Finally, they arrived at the faculty building. They entered into a large room where large windows, a large couch, and a large table was found. On the couch was sitting Narumi-sensei, Jinno-sensei, and Misaki-sensei. When Narumi first saw the siblings, shock was written on his face. _That man beside that girl isn't he Persona?_ He thought.

"Per-" he was cut when he saw Serio - commonly known as Persona - told him not to speak.

"Narumi. My kouhai. How are you?" Serio started to speak.

"Serio-senpai, it's been so long since we talked to each other," Narumi said. "And who is this young lady. Can I know your name, my dear?"

"My name is Yuki Aoi. My onii-chan told me all about you. How come did you say that it's been a long time since you talked to each other. Onii-chan said that you always meet," she asked the teacher with the Human Pheromone alice.

Narumi just stood silent. Then, he heard Serio speak. "It's because Aoi, your Narumi-sensei and I think that a few hours without seeing each other is long. That's why he said that it's a long time since we talked to each other. Right, kouhai?"

"Hai," Narumi nervously agreed.

On the other side of the academy, Hotaru and Ruka had already gone out of the room. Mikan eagerly waited for the door to close. She listened to their footsteps as they went further from the room. The sound of the footsteps slowly turned from loud to soft. They were gone.Finally, she had the time to be alone with the fire caster. She looked at him as he continued to lie on her bed. He remained silent. It seemed that he was deep in his thoughts. She tried to call his name, but he didn't respond. She called him once more, but still no response. _What the heck is this guy doing_, she thought. She called his name for the last time, and finally he responded.

"What is it? You seem angry," he softly said as he rose from the bed.

"I have been calling you for the three times, already. It looks like you're thinking about something important. What is it? You can tell me. I don't want you to keep any secrets at me," she replied as tears formed in her brown orbs. Natsume felt sorry for ignoring her. He placed his hand just underneath her eye and wiped the tears off her face. He smiled at her and brushed her auburn hair. She, in return, smiled at him. _I think it is best if I tell her_, Natsume thought.

"I have been thinking what happened in the forest. It's just that I saw a girl. She had black hair. She was familiar to me. I even thought it was Imai. But, as what Ruka said, she was with him all the time. So, I'm sure it wasn't Imai. But, I felt something about that girl. It seems that I already knew her. I just can't remember who she is, because she didn't show her face to me," he started to tell her. He then placed his crimson eyes at the brunette. She was bowing her head. A thought then entered into his mind and he smirked as he thought about it. He wrapped his arm around the nullifier's neck and rubbed her head. Mikan shrieked in shock.

"Why did you do that," she asked as she fixed her hair. "You know, I brushed this hair for a hundred times. You just don't know how hard it is to brush your hair for that number of times," she continued. She then saw him look at her. Their faces were only inches away and she began to blush when she noticed their position. She saw him do his famous smirk.

"You're jealous of the girl I'm talking about, aren't you?" He asked her. Mikan began to turn redder when those words rang in her ears. She hid her face behind her bangs and shook her head in disagreement. Of course, it was a lie. She then felt Natsume's hand remove the bangs from her face. She then felt his warm lips pressed unto her forehead. She felt weak and started to embrace him. She saw his face, which had eyes that looked at her with intense passion. His fingers carressed her soft face. She felt her heart beat fast. She didn't know what to do. She continued to look at his eyes which brought her deeper into his hypnosis.

"You don't need to be jealous of her, Mikan. I'm not even sure if I met that girl. She's not that important to me. You're important. All I know is I love you and I'm yours," he said as he continued to carress her face. Mikan, on the other hand, felt her heart melt when these words began to ring in her ears. He loved her. He will never leave her. She then realized that she does not need to be envious of other girls for he was hers, and she was his. No one is going to stop them. He felt his warm body brought to hers. She felt his arms wrap around her body; and she did so, too. She heard his heartbeat. She listened to its rhythm. She always loved to listen to his heartbeat, for it always reminded her about his love for her. They continued to stay in that position for several moments, not planning to let go. She then felt him kiss her cheek. She sat there motionless. She then felt him kiss her forehead. He looked at her deep in the eyes. His fingers carressed her lips. He closed his and planned to plant a kiss on her lips. However, he heard the door open. He jerked in shock and brought himself away from the brunette. There stood on the doorway a blond-haired teen and the horrific inventor. _Darn this_, he thought as he looked angrily at the couple.

"Ruka, why the heck are you here? Don't you guys know how to knock," he angrily asked his bestfriend.

Ruka just smiled when he heard Natsume speak. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you, guys. It's just that I have news for Sakura-san, and I know that she will be happy to hear about it," he said as he placed his aquamarine orbs at the eager brunette. He knew that she wanted to know about the news he was going to say.

"News?" Mikan looked excitedly at the Animal-boy which made him giggle at her. Natsume continued to look at him angrily.

"What is it about this news? Maybe it's not that important. We don't want to hear about it," the fire caster said as he tried to close the door. However, Ruka forcibly brought himself into the room, and Hotaru boringly followed from behind. Natsume then closed the door for them.

"We have a new classmate. She's a girl. Maybe the girl you saw from the forest was her, Natsume. As what you have said, she was wearing a pony tail only that her hair was placed on one side of her head. I found her familiar too. So, I hurriedly went here to tell you all about it. And, I think that Sakura-san is interested in these things."

"How did you know all about it? I think that the faculty room is inaudible from the outside," Mikan asked.

"This is the whole story. Hotaru and I were walking in the academy and we saw Koko and Kitsunume. I asked them what they were doing. Then, they began to ask us why we were together. Of course, I answered I was blackmailed. Koko didn't believe me because he read my mind. I also told him not to tell anyone by my mind. He agreed. Then, he brought us into the faculty building. He told us that he was going to test his new mind-reading technique. That's when he told us about the new student. After several minutes of listening, we heard the door open and we hid behind the plants. That's where we saw the girl along with the teachers and an unfamiliar man with long hair - looks like her brother. So, we decided to tell you guys," Ruka narrated.

"Okay, enough with this. I'm getting hungry already. It's almost lunchtime and we need to go to the cafeteria, you guys," she emotionlessly said as she listened to her stomach grumble in hunger.

"Hai," the others chorused. They altogether went out of the room, and out of the dormitory. Of course, they did their daily rituals. However, as Natsume was walking, he saw a black cat standing under the sakura tree. He left the others who were busy doing their rituals. _Sakura_, he thought. When he went towards the cat, he realized it wasn't her. Then, he saw the silhouette of the brunette running away from him. He followed it. Finally, he reached the building where the classes of the Dangerous Ability Type class was held. He followed the silhouette until they reached the top floor. As he approached it, he saw the silhouette fall towards the ground.

"MIKAN!" He shouted. He then went down the building and see if she was hurt. He ran towards the motionless object, and realized it was only a doll shaped like Mikan. He then felt an eerie aura approaching him. He looked at the figure before him and realized it was Persona.

"My kuro neko, it's been a long time since we've seen each other. I missed you," he said as a smirk appeared on his masked face.

"What do you want, Persona. I'm already happy where I am. I'm not going to do missions anymore."

"The academy is in danger, Natsume. I need you to do your missions. If not, the academy will fall. And besides, I have a little something that will make you agree to do your missions."

"If you are planning to harm Mikan, I'm sorry but it's not going to work. I'm going to protect her even if it means my own life."

"That's so sweet, but I'm not talking about her, Natsume. She's useless to me now. I'm talking about your sweet sister. What's her name again? Aoi?"

"Aoi's alive?" He stood there motionless. His sister is alive. She is in the lair of the man before him. He could hear her screams for help. All these years, he spent his life alone. A new hope began to arise when he heard his sister's name once more. His sister was alive. She survived the tragedy he went through. He has a family. But, she was in Persona's hands. Maybe she is suffering. Maybe she's dying. As these thoughts entered his mind, he let out a fireball and glared at Persona.

"Let her go," he said as the fireball in his hand grew larger. Persona just smirked at the sight.

"There, there, Natsume. She's safe. And I'm willing to let her go unless you do your missions. If not, I'm not going to have second thoughts on killing your ever dearest sister. You don't want that to happen do you?"

The fire slowly dissolved from his hand. His sister's life is at stake. Images of her began to appear in his thoughts. His beloved sister, Aoi. Sooner or later she is going to die in the hands of Persona. But, that is not going to happen unless he does his mission. But, how about Mikan? She will never agree to let him do his missions. He doesn't want to leave her. But, he also loves his sister. What will his decision be? Will he continue to stay into the light and let his sister die? Or, stay into the darkness and leave the light? It was a hard decision but, he had to choose one. I'm sorry, Mikan. Buriko, I'm going to save you. Don't worry, Onii-chan is here, he thought. He looked at the man before him. Persona, on the other hand, knew that he succeeded. Natsume clenched his fists knowing that he will not like his decision. "What's my next mission, Persona?" He was again back into the darkness.

--

Hello, everyone! I'm sorry for the late update. It is because that I don't have the time to use the computer because I had to do many things for the enrollment. Imagine, I spent one whole day to be enrolled into some university. Sick, right? Well, I'm happy because it is already chapter 3 and the events here are getting hotter, don't you think?

I would like to thank the following for reviewing my fanfic: katrinaanne , kimmie911, akerue, and '-MiNi-RAi-'. Thanks everyone!

And hey, chapter 98 of Alice Academy is coming on June 5. Please read it! I love you, guys!


	4. The New Chapter

Chapter 4: The New Chapter

--

"Okay, without further ado, meet your new classmate." He stopped for a moment and wrote something on the blackboard which spelled Yuki Aoi. "Yuki Aoi." The door opened and slowly, a girl entered the classroom. The boys looked at her with awe as she took each step. Some of the girls, mainly the Natsume-Ruka fan club, didn't like her. She stood in front of the class. She took a look at each of her so-called classmates and bowed her head because of so much shyness. Natsume, too, looked at the new girl. Flashbacks entered in his mind. _That face_, he thought. She had the same face as he has, his mother has. Yes, it was her. It was Aoi. Finally, after all this years, he already saw her. He wanted to speak, but he was unable to. Mikan, on the other hand, was excited to see the new student. However, when she saw Natsume's expression on his face when he looked the new student, she felt insecurity overcome her. She never saw Natsume stare at a girl that way before. _Who is she_, she thought. It seemed that Natsume knew her before.

--

He slowly went towards the dormitory alone. He was back in the darkness again. He thought about what had happened between him and Persona. "What's my next mission, Persona?" He didn't believe he just did that. He was already happy with his present life. But, how come he decided to return to the darkness? He then remembered her - his beloved sister Aoi. It has been so many years since he longed for the love of a family. He longed for his father, his mother, and his sister. However, he thought that all of them were sent into the fiery grave. But, he was wrong. His sister was alive, and she was in the clutches of the person who longed for his suffering and pain. She was in Persona's hands. He wished to free her. But, it was not an easy task for him. He has to go back into the darkness in order to save her. He has to tell Mikan about this. But, how could he tell her? She might not accept the fact that he is doing this for his sister. She might not accept the fact that he was going to leave her alone during his missions. It was a hard decision for him. But, he has to do it. He continued to walk along the dormitory's corridors, until he finally reached the brunette's room. He slowly turned the doorknob and entered the room. There, he found her sitting on the bed. He closed the door behind him and went towards her.

"Natsume, where have you been? I know the real Natsume is not eating his lunch, but don't overdo it. Here, I brought some food for you. I didn't finish my lunch because I have to leave some for you. Here, take it," she said as she handed over a paperbag to him.

As he looked at the paperbag, he felt his heart beat in intense sadness. He approached her and embraced her tight. This might be the last embrace he will give her before he returns into the realm of darkness. He wrapped his arms around her. He didn't want to let go. He found her as his haven, his sanctuary. He didn't want to leave her. He embraced her tighter as the seconds ticked.

"Natsume, what's wrong?" The surprised Mikan asked. She never saw Natsume look this way before. She knew that there was something wrong with him. She wanted to know why he felt this way. "Natsume, what is it?"

She forced herself to be released in his arms. He was bowing his head. She took a look at his face which signs of sadness were written on it. She placed her hand on his cheek hoping that she could comfort him. She then saw him look at her. She felt him brush her hair. She knew he wanted to tell her something, but he was afraid to tell it to her.

"Natsume, you can tell me anything. If it's really that bad, don't worry. I'll take anything that you want to tell me."

"Mikan," he started to talk. "I have to return in doing missions again. The academy needs me again. The forces of the AAO are getting stronger and the academy needs me to stop them."

As these words rang in her ears, she felt her world crushing. Natsume was once again in the darkness. She thought she already saved him from suffering. She thought she already saved him from the world he was in. She thought she already brought him into the light. However, her beliefs are already now seen crashing. She is going to see him suffer again. She is going to see him groan in pain every night like he used to. She felt her tears rolling down her face. She embraced him, telling him not to do his missions.

"Natsume, why? Did Persona threaten you? Please, don't do it! If he told you that he's going to kill me, I'm not scared of him. Just don't go back, Natsume!" She tightened her embrace hoping that he will be persuaded not to go. However, she felt him remove her from his body. She continued to cry. "I don't want you to suffer again," she said.

He didn't take seeing her cry. He placed his hand on her wet face and wiped her tears. He showed her a faint smile, telling her that it will be all right. However, he still saw her crying. She still needs him. He felt his heart crush in a million pieces. Why does he have to live this kind of life? Even though he is already living a happy life with the persona he loves, someone comes back and ruins it. That someone is no other than Persona. He placed the brunette in his arms hoping for her to stop crying.

"Mikan, I know it is hard. Even I don't want to go back. But, listen to me, Mikan. I'm doing this for the academy. If saving the academy means saving you, I will do it," he said as he brushed her auburn hair. He didn't mention about his sister. She might not take the fact that he is only doing it because of his sister. He saw her raise her head and look at him. She showed him a faint smile and started to talk.

"I understand. You are such a hero, Natsume. That's why I love you. If I can't do anything to make you change your mind anymore, then I agree that you go back." She knew it was the right decision. Even though that she knew it will make her sad, it will still bring something good to the academy. She knew that it will make her drift far from Natsume, but still, it will make their relationship stronger. All she has to do is to be strong and take whatever challenges that may occur to them.

"I'm sorry," the fire caster said.

"It's all right, Natsume. I truly understand."

"I guess we are not going to do what we want like we used to."

"You're right. But, it's okay. I will still be always by your side if you need help. Just don't let yourself be hurt too much. Always be careful."

When these words entered in the fire caster's ears, he suddenly felt sadness overcome his mind. He was going to leave her side. She will always be alone when he is going to do his missions. She really cared for him. However, he also felt happy in some way, for she said that she will never leave him. She will always be there for him. He knew that she will always be by his side, loving him.

The night came, and the brunette was still looking out the window waiting for him to arrive from his mission. It has been several months since he did his last mission. She felt her heart beat fast in so much anxiousness. _Where could he be_, she thought. The night was already in its dominion where all the living things under the night sky began to enter into slumber. She felt her eyes keeping themselves from opening. Yes. She, too, will be entering the world of dreams. She forced herself not to sleep. She still has to wait for Natsume. However, her sight was already distorted. Her eyes were beginning to get heavy. She felt her body weakening. _I.. have.. to wait for him_. She then began to sleep. Little did she know that while she was sleeping, the fire caster was already on his way to the dormitory.

He placed his crimson eyes towards the silent building. Only one room was lit. Obviously, it belonged to her. He continued to walk into the dark building. It was silent that the only sound he heard was his footsteps and his breath. He finally arrived in front of the nullifier's room. There she was sitting motionlessly on the chair facing the window. He called her name, however there was no answer. He went near her. He then realized that she was sleeping. She grew tired of waiting for his arrival. A small smile entered in his lips. He carried her towards her bed and placed her there. He covered her with her blanket and brushed her hair. He heard her call his name. He then kissed her on the forehead. Slowly, he went towards the door and closed the lights. "Good night, Mikan," he whispered to himself and left the room.

The sun slowly rose up the blue vast sky. Its rays shone on every thing that was under it. The brunette felt the sun's warmth on her eyes, and she slowly opened them. She then saw the fire caster by the time her sight was completely clear. He greeted her with a small smile.

"Natsume, you're here. I waited for you last night. I got tired of waiting I slept."

"I know. I brought you to your bed. You know, if you already feel that you want to sleep, don't hesitate to go to your bed and lay yourself on it. Sleeping on a chair is really a bad idea."

"I'm sorry," she giggled. "I won't do it again. I see you're here early. You shouldn't have come here. You still need your rest after that mission you had last night."

"It was easy. I really don't need that much rest."

"But, still. You need to rest. I don't want to blame myself for being an ignorant girlfriend."

"Whatever," he said as he showed his famous smirk to the nullifier. "Now, you get dressed or we'll be late from class."

"Hai!"

They started their daily routines, along with Ruka and Hotaru, again. Of course, Mikan was the last one to arrive in the classroom. She then saw a different scene inside the classroom. Instead of a scene wherein she would see her classmates in different groups - or shall we say "cliques", all of them were were huddled together inside the classroom.

"Ohayo, minna!" She greeted them all.

"Ohayo, Mikan-chan," Yuu greeted her back. "Come here, Mikan-chan. We are talking about something here. I know you are going to be interested about this."

She saw her other classmates wave at her and telling her to come to them. She left her bag, and went towards the group. The group was composed with various faces - and the one that stood out was Shoda Sumire. It seemed she was the leader of the said group she was in. All of them were there, except for the inventor, the Animal-boy, and the fire caster. Because of too much curiousity, she began to ask what they were talking about.

"We have a new classmate, Sakura. And I don't like the meaning of this," the said Natsume-Ruka fan club began to speak.

"Yes. Koko-kun and Kitsunume-kun told us so. They said that there is something interesting about the new student," Mochu said excitedly.

"Yes. She was quite pretty, too." Kitsunume said as he flew above them.

"That is why I'm not comfortable with that girl. Maybe she will use her beauty in order for us to lose our beloved Ruka-kun and Natsume-kun! I won't allow that to happen!" Sumire said as she stood on top of her table.

"That is not going to happen," the nullifier said as she let out a small giggle. "Besides, maybe she is not that bad. Maybe she also has a wonderful alice. Maybe she is a nice girl, too. I'm excited to know her."

"Me, too," chorused Anna and Nonoko.

"I'm excited, too. Shoda-san, don't worry about the new student," Koko said with a smile plastered on his face. "Natsume-kun and Ruka-kun won't have interests in her. There are two reasons why: they really don't really care about new students, and they already have some girls in their minds."

"Really," Sumire said. "Who are those girls? I'm gonna scratch their necks until I behead them. But, what if it is me?"

"It's impossible. The girls that they like are..." said the mind reader, however his words were cut by the brunette.

"Hey, guys! Narumi-sensei is here! Let's go back to our seats!" Mikan anxiously said before Koko could finish his sentence. The whole class then returned to each of their seats. They saw the door open, and entered one of their dreaded teachers, Narumi-sensei. He entered the classroom with his ever so disgusting lovable aura.

"Ohayo, minna," he eagerly said to his students. The class greeted him back.

"Sensei, can we see the new student now?" Mochiage, commonly known as Mochu, asked.

"Oh, I see that you you know about the new student. Well, I see that you are excited to know her. But first, I will have a short introduction about her. She is a very shy girl, that is why I'll be the one to tell you more about her. She might freeze in front of you if she tries to introduce herself to you. She is sixteen years old. She's going to be seventeen next year, which means she is the same age as Anna. Even if she seems to be a fragile girl, her alice is classified to be dangerous. She will be the one to tell you about her alice. I hope that you are still going to make friends with her even though she has a dangerous alice, okay?"

"Sensei, we really want to meet her now!" Mochu screamed impatiently at the teacher.

"Okay, without further ado, meet your new classmate." He stopped for a moment and wrote something on the blackboard which spelled Yuki Aoi. "Yuki Aoi." The door opened and slowly, a girl entered the classroom. The boys looked at her with awe as she took each step. Some of the girls, mainly the Natsume-Ruka fan club, didn't like her. She stood in front of the class. She took a look at each of her so-called classmates and bowed her head because of so much shyness. Natsume, too, looked at the new girl. Flashbacks entered in his mind. _That face_, he thought. She had the same face as he has, his mother has. Yes, it was her. It was Aoi. Finally, after all this years, he already saw her. He wanted to speak, but he was unable to. Mikan, on the other hand, was excited to see the new student. However, when she saw Natsume's expression on his face when he looked the new student, she felt insecurity overcome her. She never saw Natsume stare at a girl that way before. _Who is she_, she thought. It seemed that Natsume knew her before.

"Ohayo, minna." Aoi began to speak in a shy manner.

"Ohayo," most of the boys answered.

"My name is Yuki Aoi. You can call me Aoi if you want too. I'm sixteen years old. I have the fire alice. I belong to the Dangerous Ability Type class. But, I hope that I can be friends with you guys. Arigato gozaimasu."

The boys continued to stare at her as she was speaking. No doubt Aoi was pretty. She had a tall stature and a perfect body. She had an innocent look which made boys more interested in her.

"Good job, Aoi-chan," Narumi-sensei said as he patted Aoi at the back. "Aoi-chan is new in this school, so I hope you make her comfortable here. She also doesn't know the important places in this school so, I'm going to give her a group that will make her comfortable with the environment. I know that she should be given a partner, but because we have an odd number of students, I decided to give a group instead. Okay, who will volunteer on making Aoi one of their members?"

Almost all the students, especially the boys, raised their hands. Narumi scanned the classroom in order to find the appropriate couple that would help Aoi be comfortable with the school. He placed his violet orbs in the farthest part of the classroom. There, he saw the nullifier raising her hand up high.

"All right, I've decided. Aoi-chan will be with Mikan-chan and Natsume-kun's group. Okay, Aoi-chan, you take your seat beside that girl with the black hair and lavender eyes," Narumi as he pointed the empty seat beside Hotaru. And behind that seat, was the row where Ruka, Mikan and Natsume were situated.

Aoi obeyed and went towards her seat. She silently sat on her seat hoping that someone could make friends with her. She then felt a pat on her shoulder. She turned her head and found a brunette about her age. "Ohayo," the brunette said. "Ohayo," she replied.

"Don't be shy. I'm known as the most friendly girl in this class. My name is Sakura Mikan. I already know your name. You're Yuki Aoi, right? Nice to meet you," Mikan started to speak.

"Nice to meet you, too," Aoi replied. She then felt someone hold her hand. She placed her crimson orbs towards the person who held her hand. She saw a familiar face before her. She looked at his ebony hair, his crimson eyes, and his masculine face. She then remembered the incident that happened in the Northern Forest. She remembered the boy she saw in the forest. Yes, he was right in front of her. She is in the same classroom with him. It was like a dream. She felt her heart beat fast. The boy she really wanted to know was in front of her and holding her hand.

"Aoi," the boy began to speak. "It's me."

"Oh, it's you. The boy from the forest," Aoi shyly said as she hid her face behind her bangs.

"'The boy from the forest?' Does it mean you never remembered me?"

"What are you talking about?" Aoi began to feel nervous. The boy seemed to know her from before. Is he a friend of hers in the past?

"Aoi. Buriko, it's me, Natsume."

"I'm sorry. But, I don't know you."

_She doesn't remember. Maybe it isn't her_, he thought. He looked at her closely. She looked like his sister. But, she doesn't remember a thing about him. _It isn't her_, he thought. He removed his hand from hers and sat still on his sit, pondering on what might have happened to his sister. Mikan, on the other hand, continued to look at them. She realized that Natsume knew her from before. He acted differently on her. She never saw him act this way before. She felt her heart beat in insecurity again. She looked at the girl in front of her. _Who is she_, she thought.

--

Hello, guys! I already finished the fourth chapter. I know you find the title of this chapter weird - "The New Chapter". It is because of two reasons: Because I can't think of a title and all of the interesting things start on this chapter. Oh my gosh, I'm going to school tomorrow! I can't take it! Is it okay if I don't go to school for one year and continue the next year? I'm just joking. Of course, I find school important. Only it is boring and I can't do anything I want - especially doing my fanfics.

I would like to thank '-MiNi-RAi-', and -KuroTenshi11- for reviewing my fanfic. I hope you guys are still going to review my fanfic even though school is going to start.

Things are getting interesting when Aoi has arrived in the classroom. What do you think will happen to the main characters of the story? Well, read on, you guys and please review!


	5. Getting to Know Her

Chapter 5: Getting to Know Her

--

I looked at the girl sitting just in front of our row. I know I have seen her before. I know that she has been a part of my life. I don't know why she doesn't recognize me anymore. It seems that I never existed in her eyes. It seems like a spell has been brought upon her making her forget who she was, who I am, who we were. Maybe I'm just imagining things, but somehow I really think that she is Aoi, my sister.

--

**NATSUME HYUUGA**

I looked at the girl sitting just in front of our row. I know I have seen her before. I know that she has been a part of my life. I don't know why she doesn't recognize me anymore. It seems that I never existed in her eyes. It seems like a spell has been brought upon her making her forget who she was, who I am, who we were. Maybe I'm just imagining things, but somehow I really think that she is Aoi, my sister.

I continued to look at her as she began playing with her ebony hair. Ebony hair - just like mine. She didn't look at me anymore when I asked her if she still knew me. Maybe I freaked her out a little bit. I know it's my fault, but it's not my fault that she seemed so familiar to me. Then, Mikan began to talk to her. She never closes her mouth doesn't she? Well, that's one of the things I love about her. And her being talkative also gave me the benefit to look closely at this girl named Yuki Aoi.

Aoi did look at Mikan and began to answer her ever so unnecessary questions. She hid her face with her hair making her look that she was ignoring me. However, I'm not called Hyuuga Natsume for nothing. I have a keen sense of sight, modesty aside. Even though she hid her face from me, I could still see her spying me through the spaces of her hair. Seeing her look at me wasn't a big deal. The color of her eyes was a big deal - though. It was crimson red - just like mine. I'm sure that she is my sister. But, that darn Persona said that he was hiding her from me. Who is she? Where is Aoi? Is she the one in front of me now, or is it just my imagination?

The time passed unexpectedly and I never noticed. I was engulfed in looking at her. I never moved my eyes from her. The bell finally rang, and it's lunch time already. I slowly took my stuff and continued to watch her every move. She was so weak, so slow, so fragile. She acted just like my sister who I once called Buriko. After she took her things, she dashed through the class and outside the door. I knew that she was running away from me. But, she can't run away from me that easily. I hastingly placed my stuff in my bag and dashed through the class just like she did. I went out the classroom and stopped just in front of it. I lost sight of her. Then, I heard heavy steps echoing through the corridors. I placed my crimson eyes towards the origin of the soud and noticed a raven-haired girl running away from me. It was her. I chased her hoping to calm her down. But, she was stubborn. She continued to run away from me. She was a fast runner, I admit. But, as what I said, she was still fragile. I expected that she would stumble a few moments from now - and she did. It was funny to look at her like that, you know. It reminded me of Polkadots when she was clumsy. There I ran towards her and helped her up. I did that just to take a closer look at her. I helped her up and she just kept looking at me. It made me somewhat conscious of myself, though. She looked weird when she looked at me.

"Walking is a better exercise than running, you know," I said as I handed her books to her.

"A-arigato gozaimasu," Aoi said as she hid her face with her hair. She took her books and continued to walk away from me.

I followed her and walked by her side. She was awkwardly silent. It seemed that she wanted to explode right this very instant. I chuckled a little and patted her shoulder.

"Hey, I'm sorry for what had happened," I started to talk but she kept silent. "I thought you were my sister. You look exactly just like her. I'm sorry."

"It's all right," she answered - at last.

I continued to walk by her side until we reached the entrance door. There, I held her hand to stop her from walking.

"I'm really sorry. Will you just please try not to ignore me? Let's start over. Hi, I'm Hyuuga Natsume," I handed her my hand hoping that she will shake it. I rarely do that, but I felt different with her. I felt that she completed me - well, only a part of me, that is. Mikan is the one who made me whole. I just miss my sister - is that bad?

Then, I felt her warm hand - I mean really warm hand - hold mine. It's obvious that it was warm for she had the fire alice - just like me. Another coincidence. She smiled a little showing that I was okay for her. Only that she wasn't looking at me. A shy type of person, isn't she. She is just like my sister who I really miss so much. I then felt her shake my hand. I felt joy overcome my heart as we both did the handshake.

"Hi. I'm Yuki Aoi. Nice to meet you," she said. Then she let go of my hand and scratched her face. Is this or is this not a coincidence? My sister used to do that - it was her mannerism or something. She then turned her back at me and started to leave me.

I skipped lunch. I didn't feel like eating it. I had a mission to do that afternoon and it would be bad for me if I barfed all over the place. My mission was easy, though. You only had to be careful. I did a lot of hiding and kicking the AAO's butts. It was easy, but I went out of their hideout with minimal bruises. I went out of the place maybe past eight o' clock.

There, I limply went into the academy. I sprained my leg. It wasn't that serious but it hurt really bad. Where's Imai's brother when you need him? He already graduated as a matter of fact. Anyway, I continued to walk in the dark. The only source of light in the academy was the streetlights. Even though the light was dim, it gave me sight to see my path. It also gave me sight to see a silhouette of a certain girl walking into the Northern Forest. What was she doing there, anyway? Who was she? I walked towards the figure silently, hoping not to surprise her. I walked fast and quiet at the same time. It's a good thing that I'm not suffering night blindness that it made it easy for me to see who was the girl. It was Aoi.

NOt taking the pain anymore, I called her name. She froze knowing that I caught her. She shivered as she looked back at me.

"Natsume-kun," she whimpered.

"What are you doing here at this time of the night," I asked her. She just stood silent, scratching her cheek. As I was going to approach her, I felt the pain travel from my foot to my thigh. I felt myself groan in pain. I thought that I was going to collapse right on the spot, but I felt someone carry my weight. And that someone was no other than her - who else could it be, for it was only she and I in the forest?

"Natsume-kun, are you all right?" She asked me nervously.

"I'm fine," I answered. It was sort of a lie, I suppose.

"Come. I'll help you go back to the dormitory," she said as she hid her face from me again. I nodded my head to show that I agree with her.

We then started our journey. Luckily, it was only a few minutes until we reached the dormitory. We stopped in front of my room. It was awkward for us for she was the one who brought me to my room. Isn't supposed to be the guy who brings the girl to her room? Well, it was an exception for me. I was injured and I couldn't take the pain anymore. I needed a rest.

"What happened to you," she finally broke the silence between us.

"I was on a mission," I replied.

"A mission on what," she asked.

"Well, how could I say this? I think a mission for saving the academy from people who don't appreciate it." I hope my answer was comprehensible and un-silly for her to understand. I heard her giggle a bit. And she looked at me in the eyes - for the first time.

"I think that's very sweet of you. You are out there hurting yourself while you keep us safe from those bad guys," she said as she did her ever obvious mannerism.

I just let out a smirk and began to turn the doorknob. We bid each other "Goodbye," and I went inside my room. Limpily, I searched for the lights and turned them on. As the lights brightened my room, I saw Mikan standing beside my bed next to the window - and she didn't look happy. She wasn't sad either. Not a look of worry was on her face, but a look of anger or frustration. What's wrong with her?

I tried to bring her to me and ask her how was her day, but she just slapped my hand and sat pouting on my bed.

"What's wrong, Mikan?" I asked her.

"Nothing," she replied not looking at me.

I held her chin forcing her to look at me."I know you, Mikan. Something is wrong. You can tell me."

She sighed and looked at me as if that she was angry. "Did that girl break your leg and take advantage of it so she could bring you to your room? Why are you late? I was so worried sick about you." Shucks, she sounds like a mother - well, as always.

I smirked, knowing what was really on her mind.

"What?" She asked.

"You're jealous, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not," she said as she turned her back at me.

I chuckled a little and pulled her towards me. She pushed me away and asked what the heck was wrong with me. Of course, I had to tell her - not only once - about what happened to me during my mission and that Aoi helped me to go back to my room.

"Then, why did you leave me alone at lunch and hung out with her," she asked. It really hit me. I can't believe I totally forgot about her. I left her. I was such a stupid guy. I sat silent looking for an answer.

"I... I'm one of her partners, right? Of course I have to accompany her. She's still new in this academy," I lied. I hoped that a fraction of her stupidity will help her believe me. That's the significance of having a stupid girlfriend. Hey, I'm not saying that she's really stupid. She just hates to think a lot. Let me rephrase my sentence a while ago. That is the significance of having a girlfriend who hates to think a lot. That's better.

"But, you should be ignoring her. You're acting to be the old Natsume, right?" She asked me suspiciously. Now that is the disadvantage if I'm her boyfriend. She acquires a lot of knowledge. She becoming smart.

I hugged her making it believable that I'm telling her the truth. "It's difficult. You changed me, right?" It was the truth, in fact. But, why do I feel that I'm lying to her? I feel so guilty. Then, I felt her reply to my hug. I knew that she believed me. I hugged her tighter and kissed her brown hair. I looked out the window and saw Aoi walking in the darkness. _Sorry, Mikan. You're not ready for Aoi, yet. I know that you're not going to understand. I have to wait for the right time for you to know about this, Mikan. But that won't change the fact that I love you, Mikan._ I kissed her hair again.

--

Sorry for the very late update, everyone! I was unable to update sooner because our place was flooded. It reached more than six feet. I thank God we survived. He saved us our stuff, too.

I would like to thank akerue, -KuroTenshi11- and '-MiNi-RAi-' for continuing reviewing my fan fic. I love you, guys. Even though you're busy, you still managed to review...

Oh, and guys. If you see someone's name at the beginning of the story in bold, it means it's his or her POV. Enjoy reading and reviewing my fan fic, guys! May God bless you...


	6. Dilemma

Chapter 6: Dilemma

* * *

He then saw a girl walking at the far side of the road with a huge load of groceries in her hand. She had raven hair, crimson eyes, and that same frail and petite structure. He wanted to help her. However, he didn't want to leave Mikan. He was in a dilemma. He didn't know what to do.

* * *

**NATSUME HYUUGA**

I stared at the ceiling hoping to get myself to sleep. But, it was hopeless. I already tried counting sheep – and I got nearly seven hundred – but, I never got my Z's. This guilt. It never left me. That anger in Mikan's eyes when I lied to her. It never got out of my mind. I closed my eyes trying to forget that experience. That horrible experience of hiding something from her – especially that I am now stuck with her. I looked out of my window trying to forget the guilt. I tried to think of something that would make Mikan trust me again.

Far to the north, I saw several lights shimmering in the night. The sound of music echoing in the distance. Central Town. A smile crept on my face. A plan triggered in my mind as I looked at that distant plaza of stores, food, and toys. Mikan would love to go there. I stumbled out of my bed looking for a piece of paper and pen. I had no time to lose. I can't afford waking her up and let her stop dreaming about _me_… and Imai. I also can't wait for tomorrow. I wanted to surprise her. I had to do it now.

I brought my eyes unto my desk filled with Mikan's post notes and cards. I saw piece of paper along side with a black pen. I hopped towards the desk and started scribbling these pieces of words:

_Meet me 8 AM. Under sakura tree. Want to spend time with you._

_Love, Natsume_

I smiled imagining on what facial expression she might have when she receives this note. I love it when I see her surprised look with a mix of happiness and frustration. I crept towards my window and opened it. A gush of wind flew along my face. _A fine weather tomorrow. Nice, _I thought. I jumped towards the nearest tree I could hang on. It's a good thing that Mikan's room is just a few rooms away. It wouldn't be a drag for me to climb from one branch to another. As expected, it only took me four branches until I arrived outside of her room.

There she was. My angel. I held on a branch observing her every move as she was traveling in her dreamland under her bed sheets. Even breathing. Still movement. Undisturbed appearance. Her every move I loved. I smiled as this thought entered my mind. I'm really addicted to her, am I not? I reached for her window and opened it. The wind entered her room. It went towards her – freezing her. She cuddled the blanket nearer towards her body and hid her face from the cold. I was disappointed not seeing her face anymore.

I entered the room leaving the open window behind me. I placed the note on the drawer beside her bed. It was an obvious place for the note to be seen. Want to know why? A picture of me is placed there. It is Mikan's daily routine to look at my picture every morning. I won't tell you how I know these things. Anyway, I placed the note there.

I then heard groaning from her bed. It was her. I thought that she was going to wake up. It scared the hair out of me. Slowly, I drew my ears towards her, hoping that she might say something. She talks in her sleep. Won't tell you how I know. She removed her blanket of her face and behold her heavenly being was witnessed by me. I think I'm exaggerating here. Man, that is what the addiction to Sakura Mikan gives to Hyuuga Natsume.

She then brought her face towards me – her eyes remaining closed. She breathed deeply as if she was deep in her sleep. A smile crept on her angelic face and uttered those four wonderful words: "I love you, Natsume."

My heart's beating began to become audible in the room. I felt myself tremble in intense happiness. I wanted to wake her up and kiss her that very moment. Well, that would lead her to screaming that I'm a manic pervert. I placed my hand just over her forehead and caressed its flat, warm contours. I then placed a kiss upon it. I closed the window behind me leaving her in the room. As I was returning towards my room, I passed along a certain room where I saw a girl sitting on top of her bed. I squinted my eyes determining the outline of her body. Long hair. Petite body. And those familiar red eyes which seem to looking far towards the distance.

Unconsciously, I knocked on her window and I saw her jerk in shock. _Baka no Natsume,_ I thought to myself. I slowly opened her window. She, on the other hand, ran towards her door. In panic, thinking that she might run and tell that there's a maniac outside of her room, I told her, "It's me."

I saw her stop at the moment she heard my voice. She turned her back and slowly walked towards me. I opened the window completely. My feet touched her cold wooden floor. _Shucks, I'm barging into someone's room on my bare feet. Very professional,_ I thought. I entered her room and my shadow engulfed her frail body. We stood silent as the wind continued to enter her room. I saw her looking down on her feet – obviously uncomfortable of my company. I, on the other hand, also felt awkward. I even almost forgot why I was there. Remembering the purpose of my intrusion, I started to speak.

"Um… I saw that you weren't sleeping yet. I just wanted to ask why," I scratched my head knowing that I didn't use the right words in my sentence.

"I...," she started to speak. "Um… don't feel like sleeping, yet. How about you? Why are you here?"

"I… didn't feel like sleeping, too," I searched for the appropriate answer. I wasn't supposed to say about my relationship with Mikan. Not because I was keeping her from Aoi. It's because I promised Mikan. When I told her my answer, everything around me began to become awkward. I wanted to leave that very moment.

"I guess I'm going back to my room now," I told her. "I'm beginning to become sleepy. Try to get some sleep. I don't want Jinno to think that I'm letting you experience hypertension."

She stayed silent. Feeling that an uncomfortable aura has totally engulfed the room, I went out of her room leaving the window open. I arrived at my room and placed myself on my bed. I thought of what had happened inside Aoi's room. Why the heck was everything so uncomfortable there? Trying to forget about it, I thought about what had happened in Mikan's room. A smile crept on my lips remembering what she said in her sleep. _I love you, Natsume. I love you, Natsume. _It echoed in my mind until I brought myself into a deep sleep.

* * *

"Onii-chan, don't go scaring me when I have someone in my room," she said punching her older brother's right forearm. She then proceeded towards her bed and hid herself under her bed sheets.

A laugh became audible inside the small room where a raven-haired girl was staying in. A man with pale white skin approached the bed, his teeth gleaming in the dark. Silent steps became louder as he approached the bed. His long white hands removed the blanket off of her. Revealed a girl with crimson eyes glaring at him.

"I'm sorry," the man sat on the bed. "I didn't know you had a visitor. I wanted to leave by the time I saw you with that kid. Only that I was so curious on what you two were talking about. So, I just watched from your window. Why? Was he someone special?" He grinned further and pinched Aoi on the arm.

"Well, he was an unexpected visitor. He was just concerned that I wasn't sleeping yet," she answered. "And he's not someone special. He's just a classmate."

"Well, I feel the same way as that kid. I was so worried that you weren't coming home yet. I knew that something happened here that you were deprived of coming home," he smiled as he patted her head. "It's a good thing I knew that you were here."

Aoi smiled and hid under her bed sheets again.

Serio looked at the dark sky, anger and frustration bubbling inside him. _What are you planning, Natsume? Don't you ever think that you will solve this the easy way. You will never escape me. Nor your sister will, too. You will always be my toy. _His body shaked in silent laughter and the night stayed as if it was an endless darkness.

* * *

He looked at his watch. 8:01 AM. She was late. He scratched his head in frustration. He kicked the grass beneath him.

"What's taking her so long," he asked himself. His hands clenched into fists, and impatience engulfing his senses. Then he saw darkness. Total darkness. He touched soft set of fingers that seemed to have covered his eyes. His fingers ran along the contours of the hands the covered his eyes. He pulled them towards his lips and kissed them. He faced her and kissed her forehead.

"Aw… You're no fair," the brunette cried. "I planned on making you exceptionally angry today. You ruined my plan.." She pursed her lips forming a pout.

"I was angry. Until you came. It's not my fault that you make me happy every time I see you," he said. He then brought his lips unto hers. They wrapped themselves into each other's arms and continued with the kiss. They ended it and looked at each other in the eyes.

"I saw your note," Mikan smiled. "How did it get in my room, anyway?"

"I…" He hesitated to talk. Seeing her suspicious face, he sighed loudly and looked upon her. "I… went through the window."

"You… Went… In… My… Room. And you saw me asleep… _Again?_" She turned her back and dug her face in her hands. She cried heavily. She thought about what might have happened during that night. Her sleep-talking syndrome. The humiliation.

"Natsume, you're so impossible!"

Tears ran down her face. Embarrassment engulfed her senses. She did not want to face the person who witnessed that shameful "illness" she has. She fully remembered her though she thought it was one of the best dreams of her life, it was still embarrassing if someone learns about it. It was all about Natsume and her under a moonlit sky and sitting on the soft green grass. They kissed as they told each other of their love. She continued crying.

She felt her face cupped with another pair of hands, wiping the tears off her eyes. A pair of crimson eyes pierced through hers paralyzing her on the spot. His warm fingers caressing along her wet cheeks. Blood began to race towards her head, making her blush. She removed her sight from him, blushing even more. Her heart began to throb with intense speed.

"I heard you say that you love me. It wasn't that embarrassing. I thought that it was sort of nice," he said as a smile curled his lips.

"Nice for you," she pouted. "Anyway, where are we going?"

"To Central Town," he answered.

Her face brightened with joy and started to run away from him. Natsume sighed in disbelief and started to follow her. _Besides, we're still pretending that we hate each other, right?_ He thought.

After a few minutes riding in the bus, they finally reached their destination – Central Town. It was a large "town" or somewhat a plaza full of stores and other stuff. This is the place where Sakura Mikan's favorite candy store is situated. Together, they went off the bus pretending to ignore one another. Obviously, they went straight towards that once small store and now a major factory – thanks to that brunette who brought their sales sky high. The doors automatically opened as they stepped on a fuschia rubber mat found just outside the doors of the factory. The scent of strawberry, milk, and other flavors ran along the air and into Mikan's nostrils.

"Oh, I can taste the howalons already," she dreamily said.

"Shut up, Polkadots. And get in. We don't have all day," the fire caster "angrily" said. He pulled her into the store where boxes of howalons were piled in front of them.

"Sugoi," said Mikan.

They looked at the different kinds of howalons stored in glass cabinets. Others were on golden plates. It was like heaven and the clouds themselves were edible. Mikan bought a box of original flavored howalons. She slowly loosened the vermilion ribbon tied on the pink box. Inside the box were pieces of cloud-shaped candies. She took one of them and placed it in her mouth. A melting sensation was then felt on her tongue. She smiled in satisfaction and told herself, _Oishi_.

She looked at the seventeen-year-old fire caster beside her. He looked pale… Hungry. She took another howalon and placed it in his hand. The howalon slowly melted through the head emitted by his hand.

"What's this," he asked.

"It's howalon, dummy. Everybody knows that," she laughed a little.

He looked upon her, and on the gradually melting candy on the palm of his hand. He then threw it away, making the nullifier angry.

"Ne, Natsume," she started to speak. "I remember the time the first time I gave you howalons? You know. The time I also first went to Central Town?"

"Yeah, so?"

"When I gave you the howalon and left, what did you do with it? Even though I gave it to you, I wasn't sure if you'll eat them or not. So, I want to know what you did to it," she curiously asked.

"I… I didn't eat it," he bowed his head, ashamed of what he said. "I'm lactose intolerant. Something might happen to me if I eat sort of things like that. Can't you see the ingredients they put in those things? Almost all of its components is made of milk and I might die if I eat one of those."

"Mikan-sama!" A man with a gray beard and a chef's hat then ran towards her. "It's good that you came! We have a new flavor for our howalon. And we want you to be the first one to try it!"

"Hai!" Mikan said totally forgetting what the fire caster just said.

As the old chef and his howalon-addict girlfriend were talking litanies of howalon flavors and other stuff, he looked out the window hoping to see anything but milk. He then saw a girl walking at the far side of the road with a huge load of groceries in her hand. She had raven hair, crimson eyes, and that same frail and petite structure. He wanted to help her. However, he didn't want to leave Mikan. He was in a dilemma. He didn't know what to do. He continued to look at the girl he sees as his sister. He then went out of the store and approached the helpless girl. He hastingly crossed the street and went towards her.

"Oi!" He shouted.

"Natsume-kun," Aoi turned back seeing the fire caster running towards her. Her heart started to beat to its maximum pace. Her sight became distorted… Her mind dizzy. Everything went invisible around her except that awesome boy who was coming her way. Feeling weakness engulf her senses, she dropped the groceries on the ground letting numerous pieces of Fuji apples roll along the stone streets.

She came back to her senses seeing as these things took place. She quickly took the apples and placed them again on her large plastic bag. As she was picking them on the ground, she saw another pair of hands helping her. It was him.

"Oi, what are you doing here all alone," he started to ask. "Now see what has happened because you were the only one who carried all these stuff. You should had just asked help from me. I'm here all along." He continued to pick the apples.

"Gomenasai," she said guiltily. "There's no need for you to help me. I can do it alone. Onii-chan is waiting here somewhere. He's going to help me if he sees me – "

She ceased talking when she saw his hand on hers. Both of them looked at each other, startled. She felt her heart beat fast. The texture of his hand was warm and soft. He didn't let go. She felt blood racing towards her head. She hid her face in too much embarrassment.

He, on the other hand, felt her small pallid hands. The texture of it… was the same as his sister's. He didn't want to let go. Pieces of their memories together began to flash in his mind.

"Natsume." A familiar voice said. He turned around in surprise and there stood the brunette. His eyes grew wide in fear – fear of losing her. Sweat rolled down the side of his face. He saw her eyes, glaring with rage. He then saw her turn to Aoi. He saw her twitch her lips. He bowed his head down and expected for the worst.

* * *

Hello, everyone! I'm back! At last I have uploaded the new chapter! It's been a long time, I know. College sucks! I can't do anything I want! Well, I have to survive this thing if I want to have money in the future. Sigh...

I want to thank the following who reviewed the last chapter... Even though I didn't do what they wanted me to do, to update soon. It's difficult in college. I wish for your prayers for me to continue on writing fan fics. This is my hobby and I really enjoy doing it. I don't want to be deprived of doing what I want. Please pray for me. And please continue on reviewing my fan fics!

Anyway, thank you: Wishing You Knew, '-MiNi-RAi-', crimsoneyes44, and Honey R.K for reviewing the last chapter. I really appreciated it. Don't worry. I won't stop writing fan fics. It has already been part of my life. I can't take it away from myself anymore.

P.S. I won't promise that I'll update again soon. College is so stressful. So please bear with me. Arigatou gozaimasu!

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